GUEST EDITORIAL: No need to change how U.S. senators are elected

Do you appreciate your constitutional right to fully participate in the election of your United States senators? Do you enjoy your constitutional right to have any willing and qualified candidate come forward to make his or her case to represent you and the state of Tennessee in Washington? And do you want to reserve that constitutional right fully to the citizens and the voters of Tennessee? If so, join us in opposing SB0471 that attempts to circumvent the Constitution, turn back the clock on democracy and infringe on your rights as a voter.

SB0471 by Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, would take away Tennesseans' right to run for the U.S. Senate, and Tennesseans' right to vote for whom they want to represent them. The bill would empower the political caucuses of the Tennessee General Assembly to be the sole nominators of U.S. Senate candidates, and take away that right from Tennesseans and political parties that hold primary elections.

Does the Tennessee General Assembly believe it has greater wisdom than the citizens and voters of Tennessee when it comes to choosing our U.S. senators? We doubt we could find more than a handful of Tennesseans who believe state lawmakers collectively have more wisdom than the average voter. Apparently Sen. Niceley thinks so.

Prior to 1913, the Constitution provided that state legislatures appointed U.S. senators. We will defer to constitutional scholars to explain why the founders believed that was better than having the people elect them. But by 1913, Congress and the states saw that the people should directly elect their U.S. senators, and that led to the 17th Amendment to the Constitution. It has served the nation well since then.

Niceley wants to turn back the clock and take away Tennesseans right to choose their own senators. His bill attempts and end run around the 17th Amendment - which would require Congress and the states to act to change it - by limiting who can run for the Senate based on what the General Assembly's political caucuses believe is best for Tennesseans, not what citizens and voters believe.

Such a move would open the door to unprecedented insider favoritism and special interest influence. It would place most of the power to elect U.S. senators in the hands of the political party that controls the General Assembly, and nullify voter preferences. It also would short-circuit Tennesseans' desire to put themselves forward to serve their state.

Democracy is messy business. But that is part of what makes it worthwhile. Individuals decide to run for office and the people get to chose. Let's keep it that way in Tennessee.

-Jackson (Tenn.) Sun

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

GUEST EDITORIAL: No need to change how U.S. senators are elected

Do you appreciate your constitutional right to fully participate in the election of your United States senators? Do you enjoy your constitutional right to have any willing and qualified candidate

A link to this page will be included in your message.

Real Deals

Flip, shop and save on specials from your favorite retailers in the Lower Hudson Valley, 10604.